http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonhesse/
en-usJason Hesse - Jason HesseJason Hesse's stories. Jason Hesse: I write about entrepreneurship and small business from a UK angle.Copyright 2016 Forbes LLChttp://0.gravatar.com/avatar/98b25e79fbbc685fdc3fc1db072296d1?s=400&#038;d=mm&#038;r=ghttp://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonhesse/2014/10/31/meet-the-worlds-most-famous-hotdog-vendor/
Meet The World's Most Famous Hotdog VendorThe world's most successful hotdog stand is not, as many would assume, in New York City: instead, it is in the heart of Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. The small business, Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur – which translates from Icelandic into English as "the best hotdog in town" – reached global fame [...]Jason Hesse, ContributorJason Hesse, Contributorhttp://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonhesse/5453410ce4b0e125ae82e0fdFri, 31 Oct 2014 09:27:00 -04002014-10-31T09:27:00-04:00The world's most successful hotdog stand is not, as many would assume, in New York City: instead, it is in the heart of Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. The small business, Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur – which translates from Icelandic into English as "the best hotdog in town" – reached global fame [...]http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonhesse/2014/10/30/here-is-the-true-cost-of-hiring-an-employee/
The True Cost Of Hiring An Employee? Much More Than Their SalaryWorking out the true cost of hiring an employee in your business has, historically, been difficult to calculate. A salary is easy, of course, but it is all the non-wage costs which are often elusive. Can you estimate how much tax will the employee cost you? What about the cost of [...]Jason Hesse, ContributorJason Hesse, Contributorhttp://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonhesse/5452ceede4b0e125ae82e059Thu, 30 Oct 2014 20:00:00 -04002014-10-30T20:00:00-04:00Working out the true cost of hiring an employee in your business has, historically, been difficult to calculate. A salary is easy, of course, but it is all the non-wage costs which are often elusive. Can you estimate how much tax will the employee cost you? What about the cost of [...]http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonhesse/2014/10/07/here-are-techs-top-acquirers-of-private-businesses-ranked-year-by-year/
Here Are Tech's Top Acquirers Of Private Businesses, Ranked Year By YearThis year has been a big one for tech M&A: 200+ deals so far, worth tens of billions of dollars. But who is behind all of these acquisitions? This chart shows you who's who. We're talking about big money here. The companies WhatsApp ($19bn, acquired by Facebook), Nest ($3.2bn, by Google) [...]Jason Hesse, ContributorJason Hesse, Contributorhttp://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonhesse/5433cdf2e4b0563af2c4a2feTue, 7 Oct 2014 07:58:00 -04002014-10-07T07:58:00-04:00This year has been a big one for tech M&A: 200+ deals so far, worth tens of billions of dollars. But who is behind all of these acquisitions? This chart shows you who's who. We're talking about big money here. The companies WhatsApp ($19bn, acquired by Facebook), Nest ($3.2bn, by Google) [...]http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonhesse/2014/09/30/how-iceland-became-the-go-to-place-for-film-studios/
How Iceland Became The Go-To Place For Film Studios"Life is salted fish," says Einar Hansen Tómasson, Iceland's Film Commissioner. The phrase, coined by Nobel Prize winning author Halldór Laxness in his novel Salka Valka, is a perfect metaphor for Iceland's work ethos. Just like work, salt fish is a tough, yet enjoyable, dish (imagine fish jerky) and it goes [...]Jason Hesse, ContributorJason Hesse, Contributorhttp://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonhesse/542b4d19e4b0563af2c4831bTue, 30 Sep 2014 22:10:00 -04002014-09-30T22:10:00-04:00"Life is salted fish," says Einar Hansen Tómasson, Iceland's Film Commissioner. The phrase, coined by Nobel Prize winning author Halldór Laxness in his novel Salka Valka, is a perfect metaphor for Iceland's work ethos. Just like work, salt fish is a tough, yet enjoyable, dish (imagine fish jerky) and it goes [...]http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonhesse/2014/09/30/u-s-is-top-export-destination-for-small-british-firms/
U.S. Is The Top Export Destination For Small British FirmsMore than half of small and medium-sized companies in the UK sell their products to the U.S., making it the top export destination for British firms. Keeping their businesses growing is the top reason that British SMEs begin exporting to foreign markets. Research, by Barclays Business, shows that 37 per cent [...]Jason Hesse, ContributorJason Hesse, Contributorhttp://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonhesse/542b4862e4b0563af2c482eeTue, 30 Sep 2014 20:24:00 -04002014-09-30T20:24:00-04:00More than half of small and medium-sized companies in the UK sell their products to the U.S., making it the top export destination for British firms. Keeping their businesses growing is the top reason that British SMEs begin exporting to foreign markets. Research, by Barclays Business, shows that 37 per cent [...]http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonhesse/2014/09/30/crowdfunding-authors-books-could-save-publishing/
Crowdfunding Authors' Books Could Save PublishingBook publishers continue to struggle with taking their business model online, but is the answer to crowdfund authors' bookideas?Online publisher Unbound thinks so, successfullyusing the crowd to fund more than £1m worth of book projects. Dan Kieran, the CEO and a co-founder of Unbound, says he realised that the traditional publishing [...]Jason Hesse, ContributorJason Hesse, Contributorhttp://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonhesse/542b00b4e4b0563af2c4801eTue, 30 Sep 2014 15:28:00 -04002014-09-30T15:28:00-04:00Book publishers continue to struggle with taking their business model online, but is the answer to crowdfund authors' bookideas?Online publisher Unbound thinks so, successfullyusing the crowd to fund more than £1m worth of book projects. Dan Kieran, the CEO and a co-founder of Unbound, says he realised that the traditional publishing [...]http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonhesse/2014/09/12/why-you-need-to-start-up-in-europe-but-scale-in-the-us/
Why You Need To Startup In Europe, But Scale Up In The U.S.Europe offers the perfect breeding ground for startups to prove themselves as viable businesses, but to achieve fast growth, companies should turn to the U.S., says Stephan von Perger, a German venture capitalist. Von Perger, who is part of the investment team at pan-European VC firm Wellington Partners, believes the European [...]Jason Hesse, ContributorJason Hesse, Contributorhttp://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonhesse/5412e65ee4b03b61661e7344Fri, 12 Sep 2014 08:34:00 -04002014-09-12T08:34:00-04:00Europe offers the perfect breeding ground for startups to prove themselves as viable businesses, but to achieve fast growth, companies should turn to the U.S., says Stephan von Perger, a German venture capitalist. Von Perger, who is part of the investment team at pan-European VC firm Wellington Partners, believes the European [...]http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonhesse/2014/09/11/london-tech-scene-boosted-by-amazons-latest-announcement/
London Tech Scene Boosted By Amazon's Latest AnnouncementRetail giant Amazon.com has boosted London's reputation as the go-to place for tech companies, announcing that it will open a new corporate headquarters in the city. Amazon.com's new offices, which will open in east London's Shoreditch area in 2017, will have room for 5,000 staff – a major increase on Amazon.com's [...]Jason Hesse, ContributorJason Hesse, Contributorhttp://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonhesse/54117f1de4b03b61661e6b07Thu, 11 Sep 2014 07:06:00 -04002014-09-11T07:06:00-04:00Retail giant Amazon.com has boosted London's reputation as the go-to place for tech companies, announcing that it will open a new corporate headquarters in the city. Amazon.com's new offices, which will open in east London's Shoreditch area in 2017, will have room for 5,000 staff – a major increase on Amazon.com's [...]http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonhesse/2014/08/31/londons-newest-distillery-plans-to-spark-craft-spirit-revolution/
London's Newest Distillery Plans To Spark Craft Spirit RevolutionEntrepreneur Alex Wolpert has opened east London’s first new distillery in 100 years to make artisanal gins, vodka and, soon, whiskeys. Are craft spirits set to overtake craft beers as the new “it” product for hipsters? Wolpert believes so: “I watched closely how craft beer was pioneered in the US and [...]Jason Hesse, ContributorJason Hesse, Contributorhttp://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonhesse/54030cdde4b0bb45818b7828Sun, 31 Aug 2014 08:04:00 -04002014-08-31T08:04:00-04:00Entrepreneur Alex Wolpert has opened east London’s first new distillery in 100 years to make artisanal gins, vodka and, soon, whiskeys. Are craft spirits set to overtake craft beers as the new “it” product for hipsters? Wolpert believes so: “I watched closely how craft beer was pioneered in the US and [...]http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonhesse/2014/08/30/gems-tv-founder-how-i-sold-then-bought-back-my-own-business/
Gems TV Founder: Why I Sold Then Bought Back My Own BusinessIt is never easy for an entrepreneur to see the business they built go down the pan as soon as they have sold it. Yet Gems TV founder Steve Bennett says that he witnessed his company turn into a “disaster” before he bought it back. Bennett set up Gems TV, a [...]Jason Hesse, ContributorJason Hesse, Contributorhttp://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonhesse/5401ca1de4b0bb45818b75bfSat, 30 Aug 2014 10:52:00 -04002014-08-30T10:52:00-04:00It is never easy for an entrepreneur to see the business they built go down the pan as soon as they have sold it. Yet Gems TV founder Steve Bennett says that he witnessed his company turn into a “disaster” before he bought it back. Bennett set up Gems TV, a [...]http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonhesse/2014/08/29/top-fashion-entrepreneur-slams-lazy-copycat-fashion-designers/
Top Fashion Entrepreneur Slams 'Lazy, Copycat' Fashion DesignersThe fashion industry has lost all of its creativity due to the over-reliance on copycat trends, says Marc Worth, the British entrepreneur who founded trend-forecasting agency WGSN. Worth, who exited the business in 2005, says that the dependency of fashion designers on trend-forecasting services such as WGSN is hurting the industry. [...]Jason Hesse, ContributorJason Hesse, Contributorhttp://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonhesse/5400e08fe4b0bb45818b73fcFri, 29 Aug 2014 16:32:00 -04002014-08-29T16:32:00-04:00The fashion industry has lost all of its creativity due to the over-reliance on copycat trends, says Marc Worth, the British entrepreneur who founded trend-forecasting agency WGSN. Worth, who exited the business in 2005, says that the dependency of fashion designers on trend-forecasting services such as WGSN is hurting the industry. [...]http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonhesse/2014/08/15/forget-nyc-or-san-francisco-london-is-the-worlds-crowdfunding-capital/
London Is Now The World's Crowdfunding CapitalLondon has overtaken New York City and San Francisco to become the world capital of crowdfunding. At an event held by The Crowdfunding Centre in London today, an interactive map showing crowdfunding's spread and distribution was unveiled. London is the top city, with local businesses and startups creating more campaigns during July [...]Jason Hesse, ContributorJason Hesse, Contributorhttp://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonhesse/53edf0a4e4b0bb45818b22cbFri, 15 Aug 2014 09:00:00 -04002014-08-15T09:00:00-04:00London has overtaken New York City and San Francisco to become the world capital of crowdfunding. At an event held by The Crowdfunding Centre in London today, an interactive map showing crowdfunding's spread and distribution was unveiled. London is the top city, with local businesses and startups creating more campaigns during July [...]http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonhesse/2014/08/08/this-man-sold-everything-he-owned-to-start-again/
This Man Sold Everything He Owned To Start AgainDavid Spencer-Percival owned a vintage Ferrari GT. A Bentley, an Aston Martin DB6, an Aston Martin DB7, as well as three other classic cars – “one for each day of the week,” he quips. He owned a country manor filled with antique furniture and was paid a large six-figure salary. Spencer-Percival [...]Jason Hesse, ContributorJason Hesse, Contributorhttp://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonhesse/53e4ae96e4b0bb45818afcb7Fri, 8 Aug 2014 07:19:00 -04002014-08-08T07:19:00-04:00David Spencer-Percival owned a vintage Ferrari GT. A Bentley, an Aston Martin DB6, an Aston Martin DB7, as well as three other classic cars – “one for each day of the week,” he quips. He owned a country manor filled with antique furniture and was paid a large six-figure salary. Spencer-Percival [...]http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonhesse/2014/07/31/by-appointment-to-the-queen-royal-warrants-boost-company-sales/
By Appointment To The Queen: Royal Warrants Boost Company SalesSelling to your country’s leader –be it the Queen of England or the President of the United States– is an honor that few entrepreneurs enjoy throughout their careers. Those that manage to do so are vetted carefully, both to ensure the quality of their goods, and to check that the business [...]Jason Hesse, ContributorJason Hesse, Contributorhttp://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonhesse/53da82cce4b074082b2eb99fThu, 31 Jul 2014 14:15:00 -04002014-07-31T14:15:00-04:00Selling to your country’s leader –be it the Queen of England or the President of the United States– is an honor that few entrepreneurs enjoy throughout their careers. Those that manage to do so are vetted carefully, both to ensure the quality of their goods, and to check that the business [...]